The Ebony Idol

The Ebony Idol
Author	Mrs. G.M. Flanders
Language	English
Genre	Plantation literature
Publisher	D. Appleton & Company
Publication date	1860
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback) & E-book
Pages	c. 300 pp (May change depending on the publisher and the size of the text)

The Ebony Idol is a plantation literature novel by G. M. Flanders, first published in 1860. It is one of several pro-slavery novels written in the Southern United States in response to the 1852 abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

The majority of these works, such as Aunt Phillis's Cabin (1852) and The Planter's Northern Bride (1854), attacked Stowe for her allegedly inaccurate depiction of slavery, and criticized other abolitionists.^[1]^[2]

Plot

The novel takes place in the fictional town of Minton in New England, inhabited entirely by white people and where colored people are almost unknown.

The local pastor, Reverend Cary, adopts abolitionism and arranges for a freedom seeker named Caesar to reside in the town. Caesar acts as an "ebony idol" for the respect and sympathy of the people of Minton.

Cary's social experiment, however, has disastrous consequences. Caesar's presence splits Minton between pro- and anti-slavery factions, and Cary questions his motives for hosting Caesar. Practically overnight, Minton changes from a quiet paradise into a violent slum.

In time, an enslaver from the Southern United States visits Cary, who, under pressure from the townsfolk, agrees that Caesar should leave Minton to be enslaved and work on a plantation, restoring Minton to its original, idyllic condition.

Publication history

The Ebony Idol was published in 1860 by D. Appleton & Co. of New York City.^[3] Appleton & Co. had been responsible for the publication of several previous anti-Tom novels, including The Lofty and the Lowly, or Good in All and None All Good by Maria J. McIntosh in 1853.^[4]

References

^ "Eastman's Aunt Phillis's Cabin". utc.iath.virginia.edu.
^ "Hentz Homepage". utc.iath.virginia.edu.
^ "Flander's Ebony Idol". utc.iath.virginia.edu.
^ "McIntosh: The Lofty and Lowly". utc.iath.virginia.edu.

External links

The Ebony Idol at the University of Virginia

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[1] "Eastman's Aunt Phillis's Cabin". utc.iath.virginia.edu.

[2] "Hentz Homepage". utc.iath.virginia.edu.

[3] "Flander's Ebony Idol". utc.iath.virginia.edu.

[4] "McIntosh: The Lofty and Lowly". utc.iath.virginia.edu.

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v t e Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin
Characters	Uncle Tom
Film adaptations	Uncle Tom's Cabin (1903) Uncle Tom's Cabin (Thanhouser, 1910) Uncle Tom's Cabin (Vitagraph, 1910) Uncle Tom's Cabin (1914) Uncle Tom's Cabin (1918) Topsy and Eva (1927) Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) Onkel Toms Hütte (1965) Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987)
Related works	A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin Tom show
Animation	Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931) Mickey's Mellerdrammer (1933) Uncle Tom's Bungalow (1937) Uncle Tom's Cabaña (1947) Southern Fried Rabbit (1953)
Anti-Tom literature	Aunt Phillis's Cabin The Planter's Northern Bride Little Eva: The Flower of the South Uncle Tom's Cabin As It Is Uncle Robin's Cabin "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Contrasted with Buckingham Hall, the Planter's Home Ellen; or, The Fanatic's Daughter The Ebony Idol Frank Freeman's Barber Shop The North and the South; or, Slavery and Its Contrasts Mr. Frank, the Underground Mail-Agent The Cabin and Parlor; or, Slaves and Masters The Black Gauntlet White Acre vs. Black Acre Antifanaticism The Lofty and the Lowly The Leopard's Spots
Related	Josiah Henson 1849 autobiography Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site Dimples Goodbye Uncle Tom Tit for Tat Uncle Tom syndrome Underground Railroad The National Era Onkel Toms Hütte (Berlin U-Bahn) Harriet Beecher Stowe House (Brunswick, Maine)